Haunting Shadows
by Death Obelisk
Summary: His world is in pieces and he desires nothing but revenge upon the one that destroyed everything he had. There something else that he craves for but he demand vengeance for his people at whatever the cost, even the life that he could have had. Will he step out of the shadows of his past and embrace what the future has installed for him? Ps sry for bad summary OC X Erza
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! First time writing a ff so comments pls. Also i'll need some help with the creation of some OCs and and Oc guild. If there are any suggestions pls email me. Till then, sit back and enjoy

**Flashback**

_Flames…_

_Ash…_

_Ruins…_

_That was all the boy could see from his single working eye. Meekly, he called out" Mama! Papa!"  
__His weak voice echoed throughout but there was nobody to hear him. The sky was dark, not from the fact that it was nightfall but colored by the black flames which had obliterated the town._

_The boy stumbled across the ruins, desperately turning around at each alley to search for his parents._

_A small snowflake fell from the sky and the boy curiously reached to touch it. Instead of the cold, he felt a slight singe as the "flake" made contact with his finger and he noted that it was grey. There was no snow but in its place, ashes from the once great metropolis which descended upon the city like a post nuclear strike. _

_The boy was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a distant bellow two streets away. He had heard that same sound prior to the city's fall. It was not by man, not by a Vulcan nor by any other creature the boy seen before. It was what caused the city to fall, its name passed on from generation after generation to children as a bedtime story and what his father had boasted as the strongest creature of all time._

_ A dragon. _

_The bellow grew louder and the boy felt the earth shake as the dragon began to run. Panicked, he too turned to run. His little legs, crushed by the debris of his house, somehow managed to gain strength to push beyond their limits. He ran and ran, passed by mountains of corpses that were scattered across the streets. Most of them were burnt to the bone and those that were not, their faces etched with pain and agony, no doubt showing their final moments before death consumed them. The stench of blood and burning flesh rose and formed a concoction, revolting and yet numbing, more than enough for the boy to bear.  
Then the earth stopped shaking entirely, and the boy turned to look back, expecting the dragon to pounce any time. Instead there was nothing, except the rustling of the dried leaves in the wind. The boy bent over to catch his breath and failed to see the dark shadow cast over him. The next instant, the boy felt the earth erupt all around him as four muscular limbs crashed into the ground around him.  
The boy fell over and trembled in fear, just as how an ant would when faced against a boot. He tried to back away, but an earth-splitting roar froze him in place. The boy began to sob in helplessness, knowing that his end was near. _

_The dragon was pitch black, larger than any other building in the vicinity. Blue stripes were etched across its entire body, mostly on the wings and chest. Its wings unlike dragons he had read about were more like that of an angel. _

_An angel of death indeed, the boy thought to himself. That was when the boys' eyes widened. Not of fear of his own death or that of the mighty beast staring down at him but at what was on the beast's head. A man, the same one that he had welcomed to the village and thought of as a friend, was seated on the dragon's head. "You…but why?" he croaked out, refusing to believe what he was seeing. _

_That was when something wet fell on him. It splashed off his head and stained his body. Shivering, the boy looked at his hands, noticing that they were pitch black. The second, third and fourth drop fell onto the boy, covering him head to toe in the sticky substance before he finally dared to look up. He squinted his eyes slightly and saw that there was a long line across the dragon's chest and the black liquid was leaking from it. _

_Before he could think, pain rippled across his body. The black liquid was burning him and seeping into him. If he could scream, he would have but the pain robbed him of that luxury. His eyes bulged in defiance at the duo as he began to choke and sputter. He raised his hand, making an invisible grab at them as the black liquid began to consume him. _

_He never made it. The hand fell lifelessly to one side as the darkness welcomed him._

**Flashback ends**

Dante Homura woke up with a start. A magic circle was already formed at his hand as he scanned the forest for enemies. Perspiration trickled down from his forehead and his knuckles were white from gripping his cloak too hard. When he sensed that there were none, he dispersed the magic circle and allowed himself to lie back down onto the bush that was his temporary bed in the forest. "That nightmare again…" he muttered under his breath. " This is getting ridiculous, you are 19 years old and you are freaking out over a simple dream." He chided himself.

The teen had an athletic build and stood at 1.8 meters tall. His spiky chestnut brown hair flowed in the wind that puffed softly as the night dragged on, making the occasional rustling noise just like the leaves. He had an angular face and onyx eyes, no to be more precise, **an **onyx eye. The other eye was dyed red from the blood that had flowed out from the scar that looked as though it split his eye into two. He wore a black T-shirt that had the word "Phantom Pain" written on it, something that he wished he did not suffer from. He also wore a sleeveless white flak jacket over the shirt and left it unzipped. His jeans were dark blue and covered his legs completely. Additionally, a silver chain hung from his belt and the other end of it was attached to his left pocket.

"Time to go back to sleep, "he yawned and hit the bush face first, attempting to get some rest. As much as the boy would like to deny, the nightmare was not a nightmare at all. It was a memory; one he wished did not exist at all. It entailed details of his clans' destruction, the razing of his hometown and the man who did all of that.

"Zeref," he thought. "wherever you are, I will find you and kill you for what you did to me and my people. That's a promise" As soon as that thought passed, an explosion went off in the town ahead of him.

"Crud," Dante swore. "Just as I was about to get some shut eye."

Brushing the fallen leaves off his body and hair, Dante donned his jacket. It was dark grey, had long sleeves and the end of the jacket was near his knees. Full body coverage. It also had high collar which Dante promptly left open to slot in the skull mask that he always wore when he was on a mission. The kanji for death was emblazoned on to the back of the jacket in white, a reminder of the possible outcome to all those that faced him. In the dark of the night, only the metallic surface of his mask and his red eye glowed.

"Let the hunt begin," He said and slipped on his hood before vanishing into the darkness.

**In Exodios**

Erza Scarlet was in a pinch. Just two days ago, she had accepted a quest, regarding a monster issue in the town of Exodios, a day's ride from Magnolia. When she arrived a few hours ago, she had encountered the beast she was supposed to slay, a horned lizard. The creature was only half her size and the best it could do was just nibble at her shoes, which she felt was almost laughable. That was before nightfall. As soon as the moon rose, the creature grew to 10 times its original size and sprouted 2 other heads. Its body became covered in spikes, providing it full protection like a shield. All 3 heads could spray a deadly toxic that melted most of her weapons into metallic slush.

"I should have read that small note about killing it before sundown!" she cursed as she dodged another vicious bite from one of its 3 heads. To add on to its venom, the creature's skin was too dense for most of her weapons to pierce. It was as though she was going up against a tank with just a stick. "_**Reequip: Heaven's wheel armor**_!" she cried out and her armor changed to that of a metallic angel. Swords rallied themselves all around her as she concentrated for them to hit at a single point. "Dance my blades!" she commanded and the weapons shot off all around her towards the lizard. _**"Pentagon slash**_!" she yelled, aiming for the lizard's neck. The swords scored one hit after another, but most of them shattered upon impact, making her attack useless. The lizard scratched the few stumps of her swords that were still embedded in its neck, before shaking furiously to remove the irksome weapons. It then raised its tail and swept a building off its foundations as a response to her feeble attack. Erza had no problem dodging the collapsing building but something or someone below it made her stop.

"Help me please!" A voice cried out to her and Erza's eyes fell onto the source of the plea. A little girl was curled up in a ball, crying for help at the corridor of the opposite building. She was in the wake of the building's collapse but she was too afraid to budge a muscle. "**_Reequip: Titan's armo_**r!" Erza said, shedding the previous armor and replacing it with a golden and blue one. She dashed towards the falling building and held her hands out to slow its fall. Normally she wasn't capable of such a feat but the Titan's armor that she was wearing increased her strength five-fold, allowing her to provide the girl enough time to escape. "Get out of here now!' she told the girl through gritted teeth and the girl just nodded meekly before scampering away. With the girl out of the way, Erza momentarily let her guard down as she heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that she would be safe. It was not until too late did she see the lizard's tail wrap around her and plucked her off the ground.

"Arrgh!" Erza screamed as the tail tightened its grip around her. Her armor could not withstand the pressure and cracked instantly, leaving her defenseless. She winced her eyes in pain as she pounded furiously on the tail to release her but to no avail. When she opened her eyes, she was staring down rows of teeth. "Jellal, I'm sorry…" she muttered softly as tears welled up in her eyes, believing that her end was near. Suddenly, a whirling sound was heard and the next thing she knew, she was lying on the floor with the lizard's blood all over her. On the ground beside her lay the lizard's tail as well as a black and red circular weapon. The lizard roared in pain and collapsed on its back, gripping the broken and bleeding stump of its tail. Erza turned around, trying to find her savior only to find a dark figure in the background amidst the burning city. He was totally dressed in black, and the only thing she could discern was the steel skull and red eye that was staring back at her.

"What are you …"She thought aloud.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHP 2**

"So what do we have here?" Dante asked Raios as he watched the burning town from the edge of the forest. To most people, they would have thought that Dante was mad, talking to the air but when he was in fact talking to the necklace around his neck. Raios was the name of the spirit that resided within the necklace and he was a gift to Dante from his father. Raios was meant to provide advice and data on whatever Dante requested. So to put simply, a spiritual tutor.

"It would seem that the troublemaker is a horned lizard." Raios replied metallically. "According to this time of the year, they should be hibernating, so it is not possible that they would wake up now." "But there's one now, so what do you suggest?" Dante asked. "if I am correct, the horned lizard might have been summoned using _**Awakening Magic **_and if that's the case the caster should not be too far behind." Raios responded. **Awakening magic, **Dante thought as rage boiled up within him. It was a form of lost magic and lost magic was what caused his people's demise. It and its creator, the black mage Zeref, were to be damned and Dante would be there to make sure of that. His goal was simple; destroy anything and everything that was related to Zeref.

"Can you locate the mage?" he asked Raios. "I'm not sure Sir, but I am detecting a small spike in magic power in one of the caves up ahead. It is worth investigating." "Very well, let's go." Dante said as he turned away.

"What about that female mage down there? Shouldn't you help her?" Raios questioned. Dante stopped and closed his onyx eye. The crimson one glowed for a second and Dante soon had a clear view of what was happening in the town. His crimson eye allowed him to have long distanced eyesight for thirty-seconds and it had helped him out various times in planning out his moves. Still, it was a curse from Zeref and no matter how useful it was, Dante detested it. He watched in silence as he saw the female mage get caught in the tail of the lizard and struggled helplessly against it.

When he opened his left eye, he declared coldly "We leave her. If she cannot fight against a simple beast, she has no right to be a mage. Only the strong survive in this world." "But still, she could know where the mage may be? Shouldn't we save her and question her?" Raios quipped. Dante sighed, knowing that the spirit had a point. "Fine, I'll save her. You are one troublesome partner you know that." He growled in which the spirit responded in kind "Ditto."

With that, Dante broke off into a sprint and charged straight for the lizard. However, he chose not to run at his top speed. "Too quick and he would be noticed, too slow and the female mage dies," he thought to himself. "What a pain in the ass." When he deemed that he was close enough, he charged up a magic circle, all the while watching as the mage was now only inches from its mouth. _**"Chakram of the Dark Dragon!"**_ he cried out as blade of dark energy formed around his open palm. In a swift motion, he hurled the chakram at the tail of the lizard and in a dark corner of his heart prayed that he wouldn't hit the mage. Thankfully, his aim was true and he was rewarded with a slight thump followed by a furious roar.

As the mage turned to face him, he could see her features very clearly. She had waist length crimson hair, an angular face and onyx colored eyes like his own. She was wearing a white blouse and a blue skirt but what surprised Dante was that she was not armed. "Either she is a fool or very confident with her abilities." Dante muttered under his breath. The mage was also very beautiful to say at the very least and Dante could feel a small blush creep onto his cheeks.

"According to the records, she is Erza Scarlet, an S class mage of Fairy Tail, a guild in Magnolia." Raios spoke. "Apparently she has never failed any mission and has also earned the title of the Fairy Queen Titania." "Well that explains her stupidity." Dante mentioned sarcastically. He watched as her eyes widened in shock and fear as she stared at him, a typical reaction to all those that saw him.

"What are you?" Dante heard Erza call out, no doubt the question directed at him. He was about to respond when the earth-splitting roar of the lizard was heard. "You just had to interrupt don't you." Dante said flatly, changing his direction to that of the lizard which was already charging headfirst towards him. Without another word, Dante stepped in front of Erza and folded his arms, anticipating the lizard's assault.

Erza's eyes widened once more as she thought to herself "He's gonna get killed!" Fear overwhelmed her as she shouted out "Move you fool! Do you want to die?" However her words fell on deaf ears as Dante stood there frozen like a statue. She tried to move, but the drain on her magic power and physical strength was too great and she just lay there, helpless to what she thought would be the other mage's doom.

"No!" she cried out when the lizard's jaws were just meters from his head. "You sure are noisy. Both of you." Dante said. At that point Erza's eyes dilated. That man did not even seem afraid, but more of amused.

"_**Scales of the Dark Dragon." **_Dante whispered and just inches away from Dante's face, the lizard crashed into an invisible wall. Erza squinted her eyes and noticed that there were some transparent scales in front of the mage, forming a shield against the lizard's onslaught. The lizard on the other hand was furious. It snapped and clawed at the scale wall in an attempt to break it but to no avail. As a last resort, it sprayed venom at the wall, only to have it rebound back at it, burning itself. If the lizard was pissed before, it was nothing compared to this. The lizard then began to grow even bigger, till it was as tall as the Building of the Magic Council. Its claws were now as long as the street and it had grown another 2 heads. It growled menacingly at the duo mages before releasing a combined roar. The sound was loud enough to level everything in its wake, leaving nothing but dust and rubble, save the two of them who were protected by the shield. Erza began to tremble weakly. If she could not defeat it when it was 10 times smaller, how could she or the unknown mage defeat it now?

"Now you are just annoying!" Dante remarked, staring at the lizard. "I thought I could drag this out, but I guess it's time to end this silly charade." Raising a hand, Dante charged a magic circle. This time Erza could see it clearly. The centre of the circle was a Dragon's Head and she knew only one type of magic that had that sign. "He's a _**dragon slayer**_, a lost magic user." She thought. Her thoughts were disrupted as she heard Dante command.

"_**Chains of the Dark Dragon**_!" Dante said and with that barbed chains erupted from the ground below the lizard. They began to wrap and dig themselves into the lizard's body. The lizard roared with pain and struggled to break free of its binds only to have the chains coil tighter around it, subduing it completely. "Give it up. The more you move, the tighter will bind." Dante said darkly before the lizard disappeared from sight. The lizard was now encased within a coffin of chains, helpless to what Dante was about to do next.

"_**Rupture**_!" Dante said as he snapped his fingers. The chains then began to constrict immensely and there was a loud pop before the warms chunks of the lizard's flesh and blood rained all around, dying the ground a sickly red. With that, Dante remarked coldly " Mission Accomplished…"


	3. Chapter 3

**CHP 3**

As the warm chunks of flesh rained all over them, Erza watched in awe at the mage who had not just saved her life, but had completed her quest for her. Just as she was about to give her thanks, Dante spoke up. "You're welcome." He finished as though he had anticipated what the scarlet beauty was about to say. "Now in return, I will require some information." Turning to face Erza, he continued.

Erza was about to speak when she realized that she could not stand straight. She felt her waist began to burn where the lizard had cut her earlier. The world began to spin around her and she cursed weakly as she fell into unconsciousness. "Shit…" she droned before she collapsed. The last thing she saw was the unknown mage moving towards her. Before she hit the ground, Dante was already at her side and caught her midway. Gently, he placed Erza onto the ground before letting out a sigh.

"Another wasted effort." Dante grumbled. "Well at least you saved a damsel in distress, that's not something you can do every day." Raios quipped. "Yeah whatever. But now we have to do the hard work all by ourselves. Beauty she may be, she is useless to me at this point." Dante grumbled again, slightly pissed that he had wasted his magic supply for nothing when there was another battle to be fought.

"Will she be alright?" Dante asked as he turned to leave. At that point, if Raios was still alive, he would have raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Are you worried for her?" he asked amusingly. "Hell no!" Dante barked, "I just want to make sure that I can interrogate her for information later." "That's what he says," mocked Raios "but in any case, it's just magic exhaustion. She'll be fine when she comes round."

Dante gave one last look at Erza and left for the caves. "Come on, we have a mage to hunt." He said. However, unknown to him, there was a floating lacrima above him, recording everything he had said and what he had done.

**In the caves, outskirts of Exodias**

Grandal Septa opened his eyes in surprise as he awakened from his meditation. He sensed a large magical presence headed straight for him and was shocked to realize that the magic circle he had used to control the lizard had already vanished.

"So someone managed to defeat one of my best creatures. What power." He remarked as he scratched the stubble of his beard. Beckoning the droid to come closer, he reached for the lacrima that it carried and commanded it to replay what it had recorded. He laughed in amusement as he watched the hooded mage free the scarlet one before he proceeded to kill off his summoning with ease. "Well, well" Grandal remarked "Erigor didn't tell me about this. I guess I'll have more fun on this mission after all." He had been sent here to retrieve a quarry of gold from the village and when the villagers feigned ignorance, he unleashed the lizard on them, attempting to dig out the gold from the rubble the next day.

Just as he was about to continue watching, a circular blade sliced the lacrima cleanly into two, narrowly missing his shoulder. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you so soon." Grandal said, never looking up from his position. At the other end of the cave stood Dante, a magic circle readied at his hand.

"Surrender now and I might let you live." offered Dante coldly. Grandal, on the other hand laughed and declared "Me? Surrender? Don't make me laugh! A mage from Eizenwald never runs from a fight!" With that he bent over and picked up an oversized cleaver from the floor, hefting it on his shoulders. The blade was at least half a meter wide and had a serrated edge. There was also a hole in the center of the blade whereby Grandal ran his finger round it, toying with the dangerous weapon. "That's a huge blade you got there. Compensating for something else, is it?" Dante taunted. As the insult sank in, a tick formed on Grandal's head and he roared "You'll pay for that insult you runt! Now prepare to die!"

Grandal charged headfirst at Dante, raising the blade above him. Dante sidestepped in time, just as the blade buried itself in the earth where he once stood. Grandal followed up with a roundhouse kick at Dante's chest which the latter blocked with a magic coated arm but was still knocked back a fair distance away. Grandal used the chance to activate his magic. "_**Awakening magic: Bloody echoes!**_" A swarm on mutated, oversized vampire bats swarmed towards Dante, threatening to devour him whole. Dante was not fazed and his stomach began to swell as he charged his next attack. _**"Roar of the Dark Dragon!"**_ Dante shouted and a stream of dark energy shot towards the bats, vaporizing them whole. Grandal, who had not anticipated an attack of such intensity, was unable to dodge the roar of swirling darkness and caught the attack on his left arm. Strangely, he felt no pain and wondered if the hooded mage was bluffing. However, he did not have any more time to think as Dante came charging. _**"Gauntlet of the Dark Dragon!"**_ Dante said as his fists became coated with dark energy that morphed to form oversized gauntlets. Dante lashed out with a barrage of punches, all the while watching Grandal as he countered each of Dante's blows. Grandal began to time the gap between each of Dante's attacks and soon enough he had an opening. He began to demonstrate his swordsmanship and pressed hard on Dante, trying to corner him. However due to his sword's weight, Grandal's movement were sluggish and Dante evaded all his strikes with ease. "_**Awakening Magic: Poison Barbs!"**_ The floor below Dante sprouted purple spike which oozed poison forcing Dante to watch his footing. He somersaulted into the air and cocked his right fist back as he began to descend, aiming for Grandal's head. As his fist came down, Grandal swiftly parried with his blade but grunted from the weight of Dante's attack. Dante used his other arm and attempted to deliver an upper cut at the older man's jaw but Grandal sensed the attack and used his blade to send Dante flying into the air once more. "_**Awakening Magic: Winter's Dawn!"**_ he commanded as he placed his palm onto the ground. Icicles the size of his cleaver shot out from the ground, nailing Dante to the ceiling, immobilizing all his limbs. Dante tugged and struggled but the icicles held fast and the ice from them began to spread, slowly encasing him in a block of ice.

Believing he had won, Grandal laughed and gloated "You are a fool to think you can defeat me. I am Grandal the Awakened. My magic allows me to awaken animate or inanimate things from the past, present or future. You were doomed the moment you challenged me and you shall now pay the consequences!"

"Is that so?" Dante laughed darkly. "I'm sorry to inform you…" his voice trailed off as he vanished from his predicament in a puff of black smoke. "but the fight's just got started." He finished, this time the voice coming from the cave entrance. Grandal's eyes widened in fear and surprise as he turned to face Dante who was unharmed at the cave entrance before he croaked out "How…Its not possible." "_**Clone of the Dark Dragon**_." Dante replied flatly. "It allows me to make a copy of myself with all skills intact. The only problem being that my combat abilities are halved." Dante continued.

This caused Grandal to sweat profusely. He was already having a hard time trying to keep up with Dante and that was just his clone. The real one would be way worse, he thought to himself. "Still, I will not back down. I will use my strongest magic to crush him." He thought and with that a wide grin escaped his lips. "_**Awakening Magic: Might of Gaia!" **_He roared and an enormous magic circle appeared below his feet. Dante widened his eyes a little in surprise at the surge in magic power he was giving off but quickly regained his composure. The earth erupted all around Grandal and began to encase him. Seconds later, the earth exploded, revealing Grandal's ultimate form. He was totally covered in dirt and rocks which encased him like armor and now he towered over Dante by 2 meters, his head barely scraping the roof of the cave. "No one has ever seen me in this form and lived to tell the tale! So despair and let yourself be destroyed!" Grandal roared with laughter, his voice echoing throughout the cave.

"A stone golem eh? I was honestly expecting something flashier." Dante exasperated, disappointed by his opponent's futile attempts to overpower him. " Don't get too cocky kid! I'll pulverize you with a single hit." Rumbled Grandal. "I will like to see you try." Dante said as his voice began to lower. Instantly, a wave of killer intent washed over Grandal like a tsunami, making being in Dante's mere presence unbearable. Grandal felt himself beginning to tremble like a leaf in the storm but he refused to show it.

"Damn you! Take this!" Grandal shouted and he charged towards the skull mage. He cocked back a fist, and lashed out at Dante with all the strength he had. "Pathetic." the dragon slayer said as he raised his left hand and caught the Golem's gigantic fist. Grandal's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he witnessed the impossible. His strongest magic was stopped by a barehanded mage. "Impossible…" he whimpered as he failed to register the scene into his mind.

"Surprised?" Dante questioned. Grandal was too shocked for words and could only nod his head slightly. "Well, you shouldn't be. I'm sure you realized that most of my attacks did not harm you, right?" Another nod. "Well that's because my attacks are meant to drain and not to hurt. With each blow I land on you, I am sapping away your magic as well as your strength, so that you would be powerless eventually. That's why your strongest attack could be stopped by me so easily." Grandal was speechless and immobilized. His gut feeling told him to run, but his legs were glued to the ground. If not for his will, he would have already crumpled into a heap.

"Class dismissed." Dante chirped. "Now time to die." Another wave of killer intent radiated off Dante, paralyzing Grandal even more. "_**Death Scythe of the Dark Dragon"**_ From Dante's free hand, scales began to plate his skin from the elbow down. Crimson veins stretched across the scaly appendage and runes of similar color dotted it. At the hand of the hand, a dual scythe blade emerged, fusing with Dante's arm. The shorter blade curved outwards whereas the longer one had a jagged edge and curved in. The blade was almost has tall as Dante and like the arm, was covered in veins and runes. As the scythe formed, recognition dawned on Grandal as he finally realized Dante's identity.

"The Shinigami of Nero's Cross, leader of the Quarto Requiem." Grandal breathed, those word being his last. Swiftly, Dante brought the scythe down on Grandal cutting through the layers of rock armor and into his flesh. Blood sprayed from the wound that stretched from his neck to left abdomen, staining the walls of the cave and Dante's trench coat. Grandal's eyes rolled back as his magic dispersed and collapsed to the floor face first, ceasing to exist.

Emotionlessly, Dante took a vial from his pouch and emptied the contents on Grandal's corpse. The moment the liquid touched the body, it instantly dissolved, erasing all evidence that Grandal had ever existed. The only thing that remained was a green lacrima that glowed eerily in the dark: his magic. Carefully, Dante placed it into the haversack on his back before departing the blood stained cave.

"That went well." Raios said. "Now where to?" "Where else can we go?" Dante said. "It's time to go return to the guild. Master Venom is expecting us."


	4. Chapter 4

**In the valley of Antoz, west of Magnolia**

After three days of walking from Exodias, Dante finally arrived at Antoz. Although it would have been faster by transportation, there were two problems. One, Dante was as broke as a dormouse so he could not afford it. Two, even if he could, like all dragon slayers, he had extreme motion-sickness. To put simply, walking was the best option. Ensuring that the local townsfolk were not around, Dante walked towards the small brick cottage that lay beyond the empty valley. He carefully pushed a brick in and there was the whirling of mechanisms and the turning of gears before a small lens popped up.

"Please scan your guild mark." A metallic voice commanded. Dante grunted in frustration as he began to take off his shirt. Half of his body was badly scarred, etching from his shoulders to the right of his stomach. On his back, the scars were all the way down to his spinal cord. They were the result of him being bathed in the blood of a Dragon for a prolonged period of time. The skin was permanently damaged and could never heal, leaving long brown claw-like marks on his body.

Dante folded his arms and turned to have his back face the lens. There lay his guild mark, the mark of the dark guild Nero's Cross. It was black in color and it covered his entire back, shielding his scars partially. It was the image of a laughing skull impaled on a cross, with skeletal arms wrapped around the cross as though embracing it. After a few seconds, the metallic voice spoke again. "Identity confirmed. Dante Homura. S-class mage. Leader of the Quarto Requiem." With that the brick wall slid open and Dante walked through it.

As soon as he walked through, the valley was not empty anymore. Right smack in the middle was a coiled stone serpent, big enough such that it occupied the entire valley, the guild house of Nero's Cross. Master Venom had used a camouflage shield to hide away his base of operations. It was just there, lying in plain sight and yet so well hidden.

_Nero's Cross was home to some of the most powerful Dark Mages in the country. It was only established 15 years ago and yet it had already made a name in the country for itself. The guild house was built in the shape of a serpent in honor of the guild master's magic. Despite its immense size, there were only 3 stories in the guild house. The first floor being the lounge, whereby the guild members ate and communicated. Additionally, there was an arena in the middle of the level, allowing mages to pit themselves against one another, often to the death. It provided dominance and superiority for the combatants and entertainment for the spectators. The second floor was where the guild members slept. The rooms were all dark and cramped, only illuminated by candles hanging from the chandelier. The last floor was where only S-class mages could enter as well as the guild master's office and quarters. Nero's Cross prided itself on thievery and assassination, be it that of the good guilds or that of local dark guilds. But what made them famous was their successful killing of three guild masters at the local Guild Masters' Meeting at Clover Town by one of its S-class mages. Although the mage eventually was overwhelmed and killed by the other guild masters, his deeds had raised Nero's Cross's reputation to the peak of infamy. As such, the guild was part of the Baram Alliance, the greatest congregation of Dark Guilds and has earned itself a huge reputation from its S-class mages. The remaining mages were dubbed Quarto Requiem, comprised of four members only but each having the ability to destroy an entire guild with ease. They went by the following codenames: The Blood Berserker, Storm Baroness, The Shinigami and the Ice Sentinel. Although they were meant to be a team, each member rarely communicated with one another, all preferring solidarity and solo work. Additionally, they would try to kill each other for the fun of it, to determine who was the strongest. _

As soon as Dante opened the doors, a pungent stench of booze and blood hit him. The scent of "home". The next second, a mage was sent flying out of the door beside Dante. He lay battered and bruised on the floor, bleeding from the corner of his mouth. His opponent, a burlier man was about to rush forward when he noticed Dante before the unconscious mage. He swallowed nervously and instinctively backed away, giving Dante space to walk in. As soon as Dante entered, the rowdy guild house instantly became quiet. Mages scrambled out of the way and cleared a path for Dante, fearing the worst if they incurred his wrath. Dante couldn't help but sigh. Was he really that frightening? He had only joined the guild for the past two years but he was already earning more respect and fear from his fellow guild mates than the others of the Quarto Requiem who had been around way longer than him.

"Dante….!" He heard a sweet voice call out to him. He had barely enough time to react before a soft and grey object plummeted into him. "Hi Yuka." Dante replied as he removed his mask and hood, allowing himself a small smile as he addressed the small Exceed. Yuka was grey but had white stripes across her back. She was wearing a sleeveless blue vest and had a black bow tied on her tail. Additionally, her wings were slightly grey instead of being pure white. "I missed you." She whimpered as she snuggled into Dante's chest. "You were gone for long this time." "Sorry about that. I'll bring you along next time." Dante promised as Yuka stared at him with watery eyes. Dante could not help but smile and rub the Exceed's head. Yuka then purred softly in response and proceeded to climb and rest on Dante's shoulder. It was one of the few times that Dante really felt happy and could let his guard down. Yuka and Raios were probably the closest things he had as friends and family. At that, Dante suddenly recalled about the female mage he had saved a few days ago. "I wonder if she is ok?" he thought aloud.

**Back in Exodias**

Erza Scarlet sneezed gently as she woke up. She had been asleep for close to three days. The villagers said that they had found her on the pavement unconscious when they came out of hiding. While she was asleep, they had helped to clean her wounds and drain the lizard's venom from her body. She had only awakened the day before and at the villagers' insistence, stayed for a day more to recuperate. However when she asked the villagers about the mysterious mage she met that night, they claimed that they only saw her alone on the floor.

"Who is he?" Erza spoke softly, still wondering about her mysterious savior. Just as she was about to ponder further, she heard a light knock on the door of her room. "Come in," she said and the door creaked open to reveal the village elder.

"Thank you so much for your assistance, Miss Scarlet. We are forever in Fairy Tail's debt." The old man said as he bowed his head graciously. "I was just doing my job," Erza lied. She had not done anything but as the mysterious mage was not around, she just decided to keep quiet about it. "To thank you, we have decorated one of the lizard's horns as a souvenir for you." The village elder said as he dragged Erza out of her room and showed her the bejeweled horn. Erza nodded and gave her thanks, hefting the horn up with one hand and before saying goodbye to the villagers. As she embarked back on her trip to Fairy Tail, she decided to put the mysterious mage out of her mind for now. When she returned, she had more pressing matters to settle: the disciplining of Natsu and Gray.

**Nero's Cross, valley of Antoz**

Dante settled down in the small cramped space known as his room in the guild. He quickly bolted the door and then placed a **void lacrima **on the device next to the door, making the room soundproof. "So what have you got?" Dante asked Yuka.

"Well…not much" the Exceed said nervously. "I only managed to find out where Master Venom keeps the forbidden scrolls; behind a trap door on the request board. But I don't know the contents of each scroll. Sorry." "It's alright, you did a good job. Thank you Yuka." Dante replied warmly, causing the Exceed to smile. The scrolls were the main reason why Dante and Yuka joined the Dark Guilds in the first place. According to inside information from the magic council, one of the guilds contained a scroll regarding the whereabouts of Zeref but it was specified as to which guild. As such, Dante decided to infiltrate one of the Baram Alliance to gather more Intel. Today was the day that his wait was over.

Just as Dante was about to make his way to the third floor, he heard screams ranting through the air and the distinct sounds of something being crushed. "What an untimely entrance." Dante cursed. Screams and destruction could only mean that the other members of the Quarto Requiem have returned. As Dante closed the door to his room, he dodged an unconscious mage that was sent hurling into the air and crashed into the wall next to him.

"Dante are you home?" came a sarcastically concerned voice, followed by maniacal laughter. "Come out come out wherever you are! I am dying to kill you so show yourself!" the same voice echoed and as his word died down, another unlucky mage was sent flying and had her head buried into a wall.

"Shut up Kaido. I heard you the first time." Dante said as he went back down to the first floor and addressed the man in red. Kaido turned and faced him, a psychotic grin and smile on his face. "So there you are." He sniggered, his voice lowering dangerously. Kaido Carrender was known as the Blood Berserker due to his lust for blood and _**Ritual Magic**_. He had a sharp face with green eyes and wore skull shaped earrings. He had silver waist-long hair, each strand ending with a small razor blade attached. He wore a blood red vest that revealed his well-toned chest and abs. His left arm was covered in a grey sleeve that sprouted four razor blades while his right arm had a spiked shoulder guard and chains that snaked down to his elbow. He was wearing equally red jeans as well as black combat boots. Multiple kunai hung from his belt, his favorite weapon of choice.

"I presume you have completed your mission?" Dante asked. "Why of course," Kaido cooed. "I couldn't wait to come back to see you so I hurried. Oh and by the way, here's a gift that I picked up along the way." Kaido reached into his bag and pulled out a circular object before rolling it to Dante. As the object rolled closer, Dante made sure Yuka turned away. It was a human head, no doubt that the unfortunate man had been Kaido's target. Dante remained unfazed as he stopped the head with his boot. In the past, Dante would have retched on the spot. Now, almost someone died every day in the guild so death had become a norm for the mage.

"You see that? That's what happens to annoying people." Kaido chuckled as he turned away, that savage smile still on his face. He reached for his belt quietly and drew a kunai. "Just like you!" he finished and shot the kunai towards Dante's face. The kunai never made it. Before it reached Dante, the air's temperature spiked and the kunai simply melted away, leaving the handle to clatter to the ground.

"Back off Kaido! Don't you dare hurt my Dante-sama!" came a female voice from beyond the door. "Great. The clingy bitch just had to ruin my fun!" Kaido snarled. For once Dante agreed with the brutal mage. Aurai was indeed very clingy. To add on, she was narcissistic, had mood swings and was very possessive…over him. Just as Dante was reminiscing about how weird Aurai was, a loud shrill was heard. "My love, here I come!"

That was when Dante regretted standing too close to the door.

Aurai leapt into the guild house and pounced onto Dante, knocking the wind out of his lungs. She lay on top of him, all the while giving him a bear hug and burying his face between her cleavages. "Can't … breathe," Dante wheezed out with whatever air he had left. "Sorry about that." Aurai chuckled and released Dante. Instantly Dante panted and gasped for hair. "Oh come on, I didn't squeeze you so hard." She pouted. Aurai Sillia went by the alias as the Storm Baroness. From her title, one could easily guess that she used _**wind magic**_. But to be more precise, the magic she was _**Wind God Slayer magic**_. She was of the same height if not slightly taller than Dante. She had pink eyes and an oval face. Her hair was jet black and she bundled it into a ponytail, letting it be at shoulder length. She wore a white colored school blouse that was slightly transparent and left the first two buttons undone, showing off her massive bust. Her socks were knee high and she sported a miniskirt. For her shoes, a pair of Gothic styled boots.

"Did you miss me? Well, I did so let me give you a kiss!" Aurai lips curled up and she advanced towards Dante, making smooching sounds all the while. "No thanks. I'll pass." Dante narrowed his eyes and held out his hand, stopping the seductive teen in her tracks. "Awww!" she moaned. Then her eyes narrowed slightly," Or maybe you want something else?" she purred into Dante ears, her hands resting on the buttons of her blouse. It took Dante all of his willpower to not look down as well as remain emotionless. However, his other guild mates were unable to control themselves and within an instant, close to 5 pairs of eyes were on her breasts.

"Who said you guys could look!" she snarled at the gawking and bleeding (nose-bleed) men. With a flick of her wrist, they were sent flying to the other end of the guild house. Thank god that's over, Dante thought as he heaved a sigh of relief. "Anyways," Aurai asked "Did you happen to see my brother on your quest?"

"Nope, Erigor was not there. Only the target was." Dante replied flatly. Aurai and Erigor were siblings with Erigor being the older one. He was a part of Nero's Cross for a while but he soon defected to Eizenwald when he almost lost his life in the arena. It was humiliating for him after all, for the person that nearly killed him was his younger sister Aurai. "My useless brother, I swear I will find you. You coward, I will make you die a painful death. I will find you, torture you and flay you for robbing me of my kill! Muahahaha!" Aurai grinned savagely and let out an evil laugh. "Sometimes I really wonder if you are mad." Dante addressed the female mage. "Of course not." She smiled sweetly, a total controversy to the way she was acting seconds ago.

Then, the atmosphere around them suddenly tensed as the temperature began to drop rapidly, signaling the arrival of the final member of the Quarto Requiem. He was also the most powerful among them. "And the silent one finally returns!" Kaido grinned as the mage entered the guild. With each step he took, icicles sprouted from his footsteps and around him, creating a frozen pathway. The icicles tended to spread further over time and any idiot unlucky enough to touch them would be frozen solid.

"What took you so long Frost? We were all waiting!' Aurai whined. Frost did not answer as always, just briefly blinking his crimson eyes to acknowledge her words. Frost had never spoken throughout his time as a mage in the guild, the only time he did was when we was commanding during combat. To add onto that, he had a frightening appearance. He was tall and muscular but his skin was dark black, making it difficult to identify him as a human at all. To add on, he was bald and that red veins sprouted all over his body, glowing in the dark to give him an eerie appearance. The only piece of clothing he wore was a pair of neon blue slacks. The rest of his body was covered with jagged ice that matched his slacks, forming armor of immense cold around him. The ice on his body had warped to form a helmet, a breastplate, and shoulder and knee guards. The ice had also fused with his left hand to form a barbed spike.

Among the four of them, Dante feared Frost the most. Sure Kaido was bad enough, constantly trying to kill him but at least he knew about Kaido. Dante did not have any knowledge about Frost at all, be it history or magic. He was a big mystery which meant engaging him may lead to dire consequences.

"Now that we have gathered, our Master awaits." Dante announced. "Yeah, yeah whatever!" Kaido snorted as he ascended up the stairs first, followed by Aurai, then Dante and finally with Frost bringing up the rear.


	5. Chapter 5

"Welcome home my mages," boomed the voice of Master Venom as Dante and his team entered his quarters. Master Venom's room was more of a laboratory than a place to rest. Fluorescent Tubes and cages littered the area. Tables were covered with frothy multi-colored liquids in beakers, all of which emitted a revolting stench. In each cage contained a toxic animal which rattled the bars and growled ferociously as the mage walked past. At the extreme end of the room there was a huge library and In front of it were a desk and an armchair. Standing a few meters from the desk, the members of Quarto Requiem knelt down on one knee and bowed. "We have returned, Master Venom."

The armchair swiveled to face them, revealing their Master. Master Venom was an elderly man with an extremely long beard. He was dressed in a simple brown monk's robe that had tribal patterns decorated all over it. By his side, lay his wooden walking cane, the top being carved into the face of a devil. He had purple eyes but he rarely opened them, leaving only silts between his eyelids. For most people, he appeared harmless but for those of Nero's Cross they knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

"I presumed your missions were all successful?" he smiled warmly. "Yes," came the unanimous answer from the mages, save for Frost. "If so, your loot please. "He continued. Aurai reached into her blouse pocket and pulled out a small pendent that she had been asked to steal from a fortress in the neighboring county. It was supposed to be a milk run for her but she just had to demolish the entire area, resulting in her digging for days in the rubble. Kaido tossed the beheaded skull which Master Venom caught before lowering it onto his desk. Frost took out the coat of a Griffin that he had been asked to kill and handed it over. Master Venom admired it for a few seconds before placing it next to him on the floor. Dante then handed to him Grandal's magic lacrima which he promptly kept in the closet below him.

"Well done," Master Venom praised. "Now then, the Baram Alliance has called for a meeting at Half-Moon peak. We will depart tonight in order to reach there by tomorrow evening. I want Dante to stay behind this year to watch over the guild while I am gone. The rest of you round up the guild members and we shall depart in an hour's time."

At this, Dante raised his eyebrows in surprise. What luck that he could stay behind this year. It was the perfect opportunity to seek out the forbidden scrolls and at the same time escape without being noticed. But it seemed just too much of coincidence to be true. Although Dante had his doubts, he kept them to himself, not wanting Master Venom to retract his words.

"Kaido, I wish to talk to you on something. The rest of you may leave." He said. Kaido groaned in annoyance at having to stay back whereas the rest of them filed out of the door. "Aww man, I really wanted to avoid the long journey," whined Aurai as she took out a mirror "It will totally spoil my hair and my looks." Frost only nodded in agreement, sharing her sentiments regarding the walk to Half-Moon peak. "By the way Dante, why does Frost always walk last?" Aurai asked. Beckoning Frost to walk first, Dante bowed and addressed Aurai. "After you." Aurai had a look of curiosity on her face but as she took the first step, she knew the answer to her own question.

Instantly, she slipped on the icy trail that Frost had left behind and tumbled down to the ground floor. As she landed, the buttons on her blouse had become undone due to the friction from her fall, drawing stares and whistles from the other mages. "Get lost!" she yelled in anger and embarrassment, sending all of them flying with a snap of her fingers. "Well there's your answer." Dante told her flatly while he secretly smirked in his heart at her stupidity. "You have a wicked sense of humor." Raios added, only for Dante to scowl at it.

Within in the next hour, Kaido emerged from Master's Venom's quarters followed by the man himself. Kaido had shed the look of boredom and now wore one that resembled a hungry beast. Somehow, Master Venom's pep talk had made him excited. Slowly, the large entourage of Dark mages left the guild, leaving only Dante and a few others. When Dante returned to his room, Yuka asked "What's going on?"

"Everything is alright. We will move out tonight and the n leave this place." Dante assured the Exceed, drawing a soft smile on Yuka's face. "Time to get some sleep. We will be busy tonight." Dante proceeded to lie on his bed, letting the sweet lure of sleep embrace him.

**Nightfall at Nero's Cross**

When all the mages had turned in for the night, it was Dante's turn to wake up. Checking that the hallways were empty, Dante crept up the stairs leading to the third floor, followed by Yuka who flew behind him. He proceeded to the S-class request board, searching for any hidden doors which indicated a secret entrance but nothing. That left Dante very frustrated and he glared at Yuka, wondering if the Exceed was right. Yuka, sensing her partner's disbelief, began to protest. "I swear Dante, I saw him put the scrolls here."

"sigh~ Seems like I have to just keep looking" Dante continued to feel for any secret contraptions when he saw something out of place. There was an empty notice pinned to the board. It was very suspicious and out of place, prompting Dante to remove the notice. As soon as he did, a green magic circle appeared before giving way to reveal a hole in the request board. Master Venom's secret vault.

"Told you so!" Yuka cheered excitedly. She flew closer with the candle, illuminating the vault. The vault was rather small but it was crammed with various items of all sorts, some of which Dante recognized. There were healing potions, maps and magic lacrima but what caught Dante's eyes were the few pieces of paper at the back of the vault.

The scrolls, thought Dante excitedly. Now he was one small step closer to locating Zeref and avenging his clan. Quickly, Dante shoved the contents of the vault into haversack, planning on studying them at a later time. So engrossed he was, he did not notice that the light had vanished. "Come one Yuka lets go." Dante whispered and turned. That was when he realized that it was pitch dark and the candle was on the floor. Yuka was gone.

"Yuka, where are you?" Dante raised his voice, panicking as to where the Exceed was. The longer the duo stayed, the longer their lives were in danger. Just as Dante was about to search the ground floor, the lights came on. It momentarily blinded Dante and in that split second, someone kicked him in the gut, sending him crashing three stories down.

Dante fell right smack into the arena and as he cradled his stomach, he realized he was not alone. The remaining mages had surrounded him, all of them armed to the teeth and grinning viciously. "Well well, I certainly did not expect this turn of events." Came a mocking tone that Dante knew all too well. "Kaido, what are you doing here? You should have been long gone by now?" Dante demanded as the red mage came into view from the third floor. "What am I doing?" Kaido paused and appeared to be lost in thought. "I remember! I am here to execute you!"

"Enough with the games Kaido!" Dante growled. "I am not in a mood today for your maniac fantasies!" "Oh really, but I saw what you and your partner were doing just now," Kaido smiled as he held out an unconscious Yuka by her tail. "And I believe that you have betrayed us, just like how Master Venom had predicted." For the first time, Dante's eyes widened with shock. "So he knew all this while." Dante stuttered out. "That's right, so I am here on his orders to kill you. Don't take it too hard, it'll be all over in a flash."

"Kaido, let Yuka go. This is between me and the guild; she has nothing to do with it." Dante pleaded. Kaido only scoffed and laughed in response. "Get her, if you can." he challenged. "Now kill him." The dark mages swarmed towards him, for the lucky one to kill him would be the new member of the Quarto Requiem. Rage seethed within Dante and it took every ounce of his will not to just rush Kaido. "Sir, kill off the grunts first. Then you can fight Kaido without any distractions." Raios suggested. "Fine, now let's dance!" roared Dante as he charged at his former guild mates.

"_**Roar of the Dark Dragon!"**_ The swirling darkness struck the first wave of mages, knocking them out cold. It cleared a path for Dante to advance but was soon blocked up by more mages, each using their respective magic. Dante slammed his fist into one of them and hurled him into the incoming crowd, followed by a leg sweep at the three behind him. Elemental magic poured from all directions and magical bullets rained from the second floor. Dante ducked and tumbled, distancing himself before releasing his blades. "_**Chakram of the Dark Dragon!"**_ The circular blades took flight and sliced cleanly through the magical guns and the pillars supporting the second floor. The defenseless mages then fell together with the scaffolding, crushed under the wooden rubble. "_**Chains of the Dark Dragon!**_" Dante commanded as the chains erupted from his open palms and restrained a couple of the dark wizards. He barely had enough time to dodge before a sword embedded itself in the ground before him. Dante had no choice but to release the struggling fools and smashed the attacker's skull into the ground.

"Sir, this is not getting anywhere. It is imperative that you annihilate them all at once or they will overwhelm you." Raios spoke. "Good idea," Dante grinned as he dodged another few thrusts from some sword and began to run up the pile of rubble. When Dante deemed himself high enough, he leapt of the pile of rubble and propelled himself such that he was directly above the congregated mass. A large magic circle formed at his back as he placed his hands together, fingers out-stretched. Slowly, reddish-black ball of energy began to form at Dante's fingers, forming a glowing ring around his hands. As the magic circle grew smaller, the balls grew bigger till they began to touch and merge with each other. Kaido immediately recognized what Dante was about to do and had only enough time to curse before Dante released his attack.

"_**Spiral Halo of the Dark Dragon!**_" The balls of energy fired off, all turning in one direction to form a spiral but at the same time retaining its circular shape. The mages on the floor could only shield their eyes from the light and brace themselves for the impact. A massive explosion consumed the guild and it was so loud that it echoed throughout the entire valley. When the smoke died down, half of the guild house was destroyed. Where over 70 mages were, there was nothing left except a gaping hole that yawned into the darkness. All the mages that could not escape in time had been utterly vaporized. Kaido busted out of the rubble that he had took cover under and took in the destruction that lay before him. No matter how many times he had witnessed it, Kaido was still thrilled and excited at Dante's destructive power. All the more reason he was going to enjoy his match. At the other end of the guild house stood Dante, his scythes activated. Kaido drew his kunai and crouched, ready to strike at the first second he got. A moment of silence passed, before both men roared out a battle cry and charged at each other.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! This is my first time writing an author's note so please bear with me. Two things to address, 1) Thanks for the support you guys have shown for my story and reviews are always welcomed. Please do share with me any ideas you think will better the story if any. 2) This story will be on hiatus for a while till October due to my upcoming exams. But don't worry; I'm not giving this story up just yet. It has just begun. So now, without further ado, the next chapter.**

**Outskirts of Magnolia**

It was already dusk by the time Erza reached Magnolia. The day's journey had taken its toll on her and she was dead beat. Thinking that she earned herself some rest, she stopped by a local pub to grab some food. "Much better," she thought as she finished her dinner within a few minutes, her stomach finally satisfied. "Time to get going." As she was about to foot the bill, she noticed a few suspicious characters in the corner of the pub. They were whispering and constantly casting glances around the room. All of which had hoods pulled over their heads and one of them sported a guild mark which she recognized. "Eisenwald…" she muttered and shifted closer to them, hoping to catch their conversation.

"So is it true Kageyama? That you can break the seal of the Lullaby?" whispered one of the cloaked figures. Another man whom was earlier identified as Kageyama smirked from under his cowl. "Of course I can. My _**shadow magic **_can definitely get the job done. This time we will get those guild masters for sure." Kageyama boasted.

Despite the bold threats that the Eisenwald mages were making, Erza didn't give much thought to that. Firstly, the Lullaby had been lost for close to a century, making it impossible to obtain with its whereabouts unknown. Secondly, there was no way a group of wannabe dark wizards could deal with a guild master and defeat him. "All hot air, nothing more." She thought to herself. Just as she was about to leave, what Kageyama said froze her in her tracks.

"Besides, Erigor will be there to make sure all turns out his way. We will succeed." The name Erigor sent alarm bells ringing in Erza's mind. He was big trouble. Erigor was the ace and leader of Eisenwald, a master at _**wind magic**_ and an ex S-class mage. He had earned the title of Death God due to him accepting and being an expert at Assassination missions. If he was into this plan, the guild masters were in danger.

"I have to warn Master Makarov." Erza immediately grabbed her belongings from outside the pub and double her speed back to the guild.

**Valley of Antoz, Nero's Cross's guild house**

The distinct sounds of metal against metal resonated throughout the empty valley. The villagers all had curious expressions on their faces, totally unaware of the fight that was raging in the valley. Then again, they could not see it at all. Behind the barrier, the guild house was in a wreck. The building was in very bad shape, with distinct holes and explosions all around it. IT was on the verge of collapsing but that did not worry the two combatants inside it at all. Streaks of red and black flashed constantly, indicating that both mages were giving it their all.

Scythe clashed against kunai as Dante faced off with Kaido. Dante made a leg sweep at Kaido and knocked him off his feet. As he moved in to slash the fallen mage, Kaido had already somersaulted into the air and did a drop kick on Dante. Dante grunted as the kick hit its mark, sending him crashing into the floor. Dante quickly rolled over and let his stomach and cheeks swell. "_**Roar of the Dark Dragon!"**_ The swirling darkness smashed Kaido into the wall behind but as soon as he fell, Kaido got right back up.

"I expected nothing less from our leader," Kaido grinned as his eyes began to darken. "But, the winner of this battle will be me." He directed his kunai towards his pectoral muscles and cackled, "_**Ritual Magic: Self-sacrifice!"**_ With that he plunged the kunai into his guts. "Arrrrrggggghhhh! The pain! The pain! The glorious seduction of pain!" he moaned in pleasure as he went into a bout of ecstasy, spinning about the room as though in a ball dance. Dante knew very well what Kaido was doing and before the blood mage could react, he sprinted behind Kaido and brought his scythe down on his head. Then the unexpected happened. Kaido, without even turning, stretched his hands backwards and caught Dante's blow in midair. Dante's eyes narrowed even further and cursed under his breath.

"You just don't know when to give up do you, eh?" Kaido mocked as he held Dante's blow with his bare hand. "Enough talk, where is Yuka?" Dante demanded as he pressed harder with his scythe. "Up there." Kaido pointed towards the ceiling as he remarked casually. Dante took his eyes off Kaido and looked up. There in the jaws of the serpent scaffolding, lay Yuka who was unconscious. "Yuka!" Dante cried out, fearing that the worst had happened for the Exceed. At that same moment, Kaido smashed his fist into Dante's chin, sending him crashing into the second floor. Kaido then took out the kunai embedded in his stomach. The blood following down its blade instantly hardened, letting it grow to three times its original length.

Kaido leapt up to the second floor just as Dante was shaking his clear, trying to clear his vision. The kunai slashed the ground whereby Dante was moments earlier and the latter threw a flurry of punches, all of which connected with Kaido's chest. Kaido grunted in pain as he fell to the ground and a split second later, had Dante's knee buried in his chest. Kaido snarled as he attempted to bitch-slap Dante who managed to leap away just in time. Dante fell on one knee and a magic circle charged up on his right shin. _**"Whip of the Dark Dragon!"**_ Black spikes formed on Dante's leg as he somersaulted and slammed it into Kaido's neck. Kaido held up his blood kunai to parry the blow, only to have it broken and he was sent flying.

"Kaido, release Yuka. Now!" Dante wiped the blood trailing from his jaw, his eyes focused on the psychotic killer. "Dream on!" Kaido reached into his leg pouch and pulled out a red vial. He then emptied the contents into his mouth and ingested it._** "Ritual Magic: Take over!" **_ Seconds passed before a new magic circle formed below Kaido, this time round a blue colored one. "_**Rain Needles!"**_ He flicked his hands forth and thousands of water projectiles sprayed towards Dante. "_**Scales of the Dark Dragon!"**_ The transparent shield instantly formed in front of Dante and the projectiles splashed harmlessly against it. "What a troublesome ability!" Dante swore. Kaido's magic allowed him to use the magic of whosever blood he had swallowed. He was able to use it for up to three minutes each time and to top it off; he could use multiple types at once. The only problem was that it was the only time that he could be wounded.

As though knowing what Dante was thinking, Kaido swallowed yet another vial. This time a purple circle appeared. _**"Guns' Magic: Vanity Bullet!"**_ He pointed his index finger towards the sky as a swirling ball of energy gathered. He then lowered his arm and fired it at Dante, shattering his shield instantly. Thick smoke billowed out from the explosion, obscuring the view of both mages. The minute it cleared, Dante hurled two of his chakrams' at Kaido, only for him to nimbly step to aside, avoiding them completely.

"You desperate fool, have you been pushed to your limits such that you can't even aim?" Kaido taunted. "They weren't for you, you bastard." Growled Dante as he tried to catch his breath. "What!" Kaido turned up, and watched as the duo blades sliced through the scaffolding surrounding Yuka, freeing the unconscious Exceed. Kaido scowled, now knowing that his hostage was freed.

"Damn you!" Kaido charged up bullet after bullet and launched them in quick succession. Dante ran from side to side, avoiding all of them, frustrating Kaido even further. "Why? Why? Can't I hit him!" he roared in anger. His eyes widened as a shadow was cast above him. "You're finished!" Dante brought his scythes down on both sides, leaving a bloody cross on Kaido's chest. Blood sputtered from Kaido's chest as his eyes rolled back. He let out a painful moan before he collapsed onto his knees, and then face first on the floor.

Dante stood over his fallen body and made sure the mage did not get up before turning to leave. It was only then did he realize the extent of his injuries. He had bruises on his chin and chest that were turning black already. His abdomen was bleeding in several areas due to the shrapnel of the shield piercing him. His right leg was also broken from the force he used to kick Kaido's kunai. To sum up he was in very bad shape.

He quickly limped towards where Yuka was but each step he took, a burning sensation swelled up his leg and stomach. It hindered his progress towards Yuka, but he continued anyway, wanting to ensure she was alright. "Yuka, I'm…" He paused mid-sentence as he felt a malicious presence behind him. It was too late when he turned to react. The next second, something pierced his chest all the way. Dante vomited blood as he felt one of his lungs deflate. It was getting difficult to breathe and he felt his consciousness start to slip from him. He gripped the blade as hard as he could and suddenly found it feeling somewhat familiar. He then realized it was his own scythe. "Impossible…When…did…you…?" Dante rasped as an all-too-familiar laughter came from behind him. "Nothing is impossible." Replied Kaido as he pushed the scythe further, causing Dante to cry out in agony.

**With Yuka**

Yuka distinctly heard Dante cry out and she began to rouse from her slumber. She had been unconscious for a while now. The last things she remembered was Kaido's hand around her, choking her into unconsciousness. She struggled to open her eyes, squinting as she saw two blurry figures, one bruised and the other bleeding profusely. "Dante…" she squeaked as she recognized the latter. "I have to help him." She then began to recall a promise she had made earlier.

_7 years earlier_

"_Are you alright?" Dante asked the then smaller Yuka. "Yes…." Yuka whispered, still slightly shocked about the events that had occurred earlier. A stranger had just saved her from being eaten by a wyvern even though he did not know her either. "Well then take care of yourself." Dante told her as he began to walk off, waving his hand as he did. "Wait up," Yuka called out as she flew towards him." "Huh? What else do you want now?" Dante furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the Exceed. "Can I go with you; I want to repay your favor." Yuka pleaded. Dante hesitated for a moment before answering "Fine, but what can you do to help me?" "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise and assist you in time of need. By the way, what's your name? I'm Yuka." Yuka purred as she landed on his head. "Dante, now get off my head." Dante brushed Yuka off as he scratched his hair where she sat on moments ago. "Aye!" Yuka chirped as she flew next to her new partner._

**Present**

"Come on, come on wings! Grow!" Yuka began pouring all her remaining energy into her back. After a while, a green magic circle appeared and her grey wings popped out finally. "Don't worry Dante, I'm coming!" Yuka then soared as fast as she could towards the two of them.

**With Kaido and Dante**

"Impossible…When…did…you…?" Dante rasped as an all-too-familiar laughter came from behind him. "Nothing is impossible." Replied Kaido as he pushed the scythe further, causing Dante to cry out in agony. Dante shot a glance at where Kaido was moments ago and "he" was still there, unconscious and bleeding, until he vanished with a puff of black smoke. "That was just like my shadow clone." Dante thought and his eyes widened. "When did he…" As he glanced down at the floor, Dante got his answer right away. There were patches of blood everywhere as a result of the match between the two. What Kaido needed was there on the ground, and given his magic's association with blood, it wouldn't take Kaido long to identify whose blood is whose. "Now you know, so it's time to end this stupid charade." Kaido's free arm immediately morphed into another scythe and he pressed the blade against Dante's neck. Dante grimaced as he felt the blade began to cut his flesh. "Bye Bye!" Kaido whispered with barely contained excitement and Dante closed his eyes for the worse.

"Dante!" Dante's eyes shot back open as he heard Yuka call out his name. The next moment, something soft pounced onto Kaido's face, surprising him. "What the hell!" Kaido was knocked back, releasing the scythes on both arms as he tried to grab at the fluffy object on his face. Dante rolled forward, distancing himself from Kaido as he gripped the hole in his chest. His breathing was getting heavier and heavier, with the hole making wheezing sounds as the air seeped through. The loss of blood was far too great. He felt his consciousness slipping and his magic power was barely enough for a single strike.

"I have no choice, I have to use that." Dante let his right arm hang loosely and placed the other at its crook. He then closed his eyes and began to chant a spell that his father had taught him. _**"Snarling demons shall break free of their bonds. Their blood, unite and convulse, forms the tomb of all our sins. Seal the evil that we deem our enemy. Be gone with a crimson flash of light!"**_

Black blood began to flow out from Dante's right eye. Wherever it touched, black scales began to form. It trailed down Dante's face, chest and onto his right arm. Talons and spikes sprouted on his arm as his remaining energy began to congregate at his right palm. A crimson orb began to swirl violently in his palm, growing larger as the seconds past. Finally, it dispersed, sinking into Dante's palm and talons which caused it to glow an eerie red light. The insignia of a cross glowed faintly at the back of Dante's hand, signifying that the preparations were complete.

"Yuka! Get out of the way!" Yuka took that as her cue and instantly let go off Kaido's face. She shot off into the night sky, never once looking back. "Bah!" Kaido exclaimed as he spat fur out from his mouth. As he tried to empty his mouth and look for the assailant, he watched as Dante flickered from his position a few meters away and the next moment was right in his face. One look at the orb in Dante's hand and Kaido knew it was bad news. "_**Ritual Magic: Blood Mist!"**_ Blood seeped out from Kaido's wounds and began to congregate in front of him in an attempt to form a shield. But in the face of Dante's attack, it was too slow.

"_**Secret Dragon Slayer Art: Crimson Grave!"**_ Dante slammed his open palm into Kaido's torso. The orb began to react violently, twisting and its shape began to warp. The concentrated energies began slash and burn at Kaido, causing the mage to cringe and snarl in anger. "Now die!" Kaido whispered into Kaido's ear just before the orb vanished. Up in the air, Yuka watched as the guild house was obliterated in a bright red light. A crimson tornado erupted from the midst of the guildhouse, destroying the forests and buildings around it. The barrier too, collapsed under the immense pressure. Yuka was desperately flying backwards, trying her best not to get sucked into the monster of a storm. Then from the corner of her eye, she saw a scaly figure falling from the tornado into the forests further away. "Dante!" Yuka sped as fast as she could towards his unconscious body, fearing the worst had happened. "Yuka…" Dante muttered weakly before all went black.


End file.
